Hybrid vehicles have come a long way in a short amount of time, although it’s still clear there is still a way to go before public perception changes. The first obstacle is the price of hybrids, as they are still too high to become a consumer’s first choice, and then there is the technology itself. What we mean by this is because it seems strange that there are still diesel vehicles already on the market achieving better figures than some hybrids.

However, for the most part the best MPG cars are still hybrids, with the Honda Civic and the Toyota Prius at the top of the list. The amount of technology being used in these vehicles is remarkable, and this will only improve now that KERS from F1 is being introduced into road cars. While this is very similar to what hybrids already do, the technology from KERS is far more advanced.

What makes the Honda Civic Hybrid MPG so good? Honda’s Eco Assist does what it says on the tin, and that is to coach you into driving with greater fuel-efficiency. All you have to do is stay in the green and you should achieve the recommended 44 mpg in the city and 44 miles per gallon on the highway.

However, the easiest way to achieve those figures is to use the ECON Button, which will automatically configure the cars system so what would normally consume the most energy will be better managed. This is not ideal for all situations, so you should not use this mode all the time.

The Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system – This is the heart of the Prius, which is said to be the perfect unison between a gasoline engine and an eclectic motor. This system works even better in conjunction with the three driving modes, EV, 15 16 ECO and POWER. EV Mode. Each of these alters certain car functions, such as demand on climate control, your throttle input and much more. It’s this technology that allows the Toyota Hybrid MPG results to be 51 mpg in the city and 48 on the highway.

However, these results will vary on your driving style, and also how well you maintain your hybrid vehicle.

About a week ago a few Toyota dealers struggled to keep information on the 2014 Corolla to themselves, and as a result leaked some information online. However, it didn’t take them long to realize the error of their ways and take this information down. As the 2014 Toyota Corolla release date gets closer, so does public interest in the vehicle.

The reason we say this is because this has been the biggest selling car for Toyota for years, and because the current model is starting to show its age, an all-new design is needed, and this is just what the 2014 model will bring.

According to CNN Money, the 2014 Toyota Corolla unveil will be in June, although this has yet to be confirmed, but we hope Toyota will be less tentative and release official confirmation of when the 2014 Toyota Corolla will be unveiled soon.

Just for the record, the images you see are not of the all-new Corolla, but of the Toyota Furia Concept, although we do expect the 2014 Corolla to make use of some of its designs flares. Let’s hope that Toyota come up with something radical, because we have seen the likes of Kia and Hyundai come up with some beautiful designs.

Over the years the basic design of the Corolla hasn’t changed that much, and it’s this very reason why it is important for evolutionary changes. Like we said above the competition is heating up so Toyota needs to bring some sparkle back. Even if Toyota incorporated some of the design features from the Furia it would be classed as a huge achievement.

However, another factor that could affect sales is the 2014 Toyota Corolla price, because it needs to be competitive, something they may struggle with considering the amount of resources they have likely put into the new model.

We already know what the new 2014 Toyota Corolla will look like, as well as the fact that it will be out later this year, but that’s all we knew. However, all that has changed thanks to some leaked news on the Internet. It seems as though a few Toyota dealers have not been able to keep their mouths shut.

Car and Driver has been doing some snooping around, and it seems as though they have built up a picture of some of the 2014 Toyota Corolla specs, well that and because these dealers left a few details of the new Corolla on their websites before being taken down.

If we are to believe the leak then the 2014 Corolla will sport a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, although this unit will run sweeter thanks to Toyota’s Valvematic continuously variable valve timing. The base model will now come with either six-speed manual or four-speed automatic.

We’re not too certain of the performance figures or the 2014 Toyota Corolla MPG figures, but we do know the current model produces 132 horsepower and delivers 27 mpg city and 34 miles per gallon highway. However, because the current model only has a five-speed manual, we expect those figures to be a little better with the newer Corolla.

The 2014 Toyota Corolla interior will vary depending on which trim level you choose; these will include the LE, S and Eco. However, we do know that several improvements have been made to the interior, such as Softex leather, built-in GPS and even push-start ignition. From what we can see the 2014 Toyota Corolla review should be a positive one, but it’s always hard to tell.

Toyota has yet to confirm these details, but hopefully they will soon, by which time they should also give details of the 2014 Toyota Corolla release date.

Now that we are a few days into May it seems that the results for auto sales in April 2013 are in, which has seen the Honda Accord beat the Toyota Camry by just under 2,000 sales. This is a good result considering the former is known as the best seller for cars in the United States.

2013 Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry April sales figures – Toyota reported that Camry sales for April were exactly at 31,730 and this is just short of the Honda Accord, which reportedly scored 33,538 sales in the same month. Honda also hit the headlines with better than expected 7.4 percent increase in Honda Acura sales.

There are a number of reasons why the Toyota Camry fell short of Honda Accord sales, and one assumption is that some Toyota fans are waiting for a new car to arrive and are very “disciplined” with enticements. You can read a lot more insight into these sales figures and information on Asian brands losing marketshare in this article

Best choice from Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry – the sales figures for April could be explained by a number of factors, but some people believe the 2013 Honda Accord will always be the better choice.

In fact we found one video on YouTube offering up 4 reasons why you should choose the new Honda Accord over the 2013 Toyota Camry. You can see that video below this article, which runs for just over 3 minutes and has split viewers with their reasons.

Do you prefer the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord? You might also want to read about why Honda favors iPhone and Toyota likes Nokia in their cars.

For those who thought the older 4Runner was starting to show its age and unable to compete with some of the new boys on the block, then you will be pleased to learn that Toyota now has the 2014 4Runner, which we have to say, has gone through an amazing transformation. However, it’s not all about the exterior, as Toyota needs to have worked on other aspects of the vehicle as well.

The 2014 Toyota 4Runner changes does not seem to be what we had hoped, because while the look of the vehicle has received a massive overhaul, it seems Toyota as made the same mistake as many before them, and that is not improving the handling, poor ride, terrible turning circled and a horrible driving position.

Because the 2014 4Runner is a truck based SUV, it’s for this reason why this vehicle is being left behind, because it’s intended use is more for off-road, unlike rivals who are now producing SUVs more for standard road use, which seems to be what the public want. It’s for this reason why the 4Runner is now being left behind, which is a shame considering how long the model has been on the market for.

Below you will see a 2014 Toyota 4Runner review, which looks at this and many other aspects of this SUV. We can see that Toyota has done some nice work with the front fascia, oversized grille, aggressive angles and three different trim levels. It’s just a shame that beauty is only skin deep in this instance.

Don’t expect a decent MPG return, as it’s just 18 mpg overall, although you have to remember that this 270 horsepower 4.0 liter V6 engine is designed to be used more off-road than on it. The 2014 4Runner refresh price is yet to be confirmed, but we can tell you that this (one of the last true SUVs) will be available to purchase from September.

Just yesterday we looked at an impending recall of the Range Rover Evoque, even though Land Rover has yet to release any details about it, such as when the recalls will begin or the number of models affected. That’s more than we can say for another round of recalls for 2013, which is to affect more than 3.4 million cars.

Honda, Nissan, Mazda and Toyota are set to recall several of their models sold between 2000-2004. The Toyota recall is to effect 1.73 models, the Honda recall 1.13 million vehicles, Nissan around 500,000 and Mazda with about 45,000. The alarming thing is, all are being recalled due to the same air bag issue.

The defective part supplied by vehicle parts maker Takata Corp could in some could cause the airbag to deploy because of a faulty airbag inflator. You have been advised to contact your local dealer, although there’s always another way to see if your vehicle is affected by this recall.

You can run a Toyota recall VIN check here, where you will just need to enter your vehicle identification number. You can also enter your Honda VIN here. However, if you have a Nissan or Mazda, then you still need to contact your dealer.

The models affected by this airbag recall depends what part of the world you live in. In the UK, Toyota is to recall the Corolla and Yaris, Honda the Civic, CRV and Jazz, and Nissan the Almera, Navara, Patrol, Terrano II and the X-Trail.

For those of you in the US, then the models include the Corolla, Lexus SC Tundra from Toyota. The Civic, CR-V and Odyssey from Honda and the Infiniti FX, Infiniti QX4, Maxima Pathfinder and Sentra from Nissan.

While this will come as a blow to all four, it will be particularly tough for Toyota, as they have not had a great few years when it comes to recalls.

While the first day of the 2013 Chicago Auto Show didn’t offer much in the way of excitement, there were a few surprises, which we’ll get to later today. We already knew that the 2014 Toyota Tundra pickup was going to be unveiled at the event, but up until now it was all speculation as to what we could expect.

We had several ideas of what Toyota would do with the new Tundra, but we were hoping for a radical change. Well you know the saying that you never get what you wish for, because the 2014 Toyota Tundra has only received minimal improvements to the interior and exterior. However, the Japanese auto manufacturer has made some significant changes beneath the skin.

The first thing that you will notice with this refreshed model is the new grille, which certainly has a greater presence than its predecessor. The tailgate and the bed have also seen a small redesign, although they are subtle, they are just enough to make a difference in the overall look.

As for the interior, owners will now get to enjoy some new seats along with a much-improved instrument panel, and the rest of the features we’re told are “evolutionary than revolutionary“.

We recently said that the likes of Toyota were starting to claw into the lucrative pickup truck market that is dominated by the likes of GM and Ford, but these minor changes are going to stall Toyota’s plans to change that fact.

For many years now the auto industry has been following other markets along with sporting events to see what they are able to bring to their upcoming cars. Take F1, car manufacturers have been borrowing certain technology and then adapting them for road cars, KERS being the latest example of that. However, just recently we have seen a number of new cars coming with the kind of technology that we take for granted in our smartphones.

With this is mind we can now report that Honda is about to use some technology found in the iPhone 4S/5 and include it to certain models of the Accord and Acura. This tech that we are talking about is Siri, but you’ll need to have those devices above running iOS 6. Toyota will be improving their in-car services in a number of their vehicles by making Nokia’s Here Local Search available to them. According to the press release the technology will be integrated into certain models in Europe, the Middle East and Russia by 2014.

While this may be great news it’s not as good as what Honda is offering, but it does get annoying when they favor the likes of Apple and don’t make it more universal so you can use Android equivalent services as well. However, let’s not take away the fact that this will be welcome by thousands of drivers who will now be able to use voice commands in their Honda and Acura vehicles.

This tech will only be available for a few models, but we can picture an announcement in the future saying that more models will be getting the Siri function. It’s great that a huge number of car makers are keeping up with the technology and incorporating them into their cars, but we do find it strange how Mercedes refuse to install Bluetooth and instead charge extra for a device to support this.

Just over a week ago we announced that GMC had to recall several of their vans due to a not so serious issue, and it seems that we won’t forget Jan 2013 in a hurry because there is yet another recall – well a double one really. Both Lexus and Toyota has issued a voluntary recall for the IS, Corolla and Matrix models.

270,000 Lexus IS sedans from 2006 to 2012 are affected by this recall, while 752,000 Toyota Corolla and Matrix models from 2003 to 2004 are affected, which is over 1 million units in total with the Toyota’s suffering from an airbag issue and the Lexus because of windshield wiper problems.

Autoblog state that the airbag issue has nothing to do with the small recall issued last week, as this is to do with a faulty control module, which in some cases could cause a short circuit. If left then the airbag could deploy unnecessarily and as a result the seat belt pretensioners could also activate as a result. As for the Lexus issue this has been caused by the wiper arm not being correctly tightened, so while not as serious this could result in the wipers not working correctly.

If you visit Toyota HERE you can look up your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) or call them on 1-800-331-4331. Lexus doesn’t offer such a system to see if your car is affected by this latest round of recalls, but you can call them on 1 800-255-3987.

With the Chicago Auto Show taking place soon after Detroit you’d have thought that we would’ve seen all there was to see, but the former event will have a few exclusives, such as the 2014 Toyota Tundra, which we already explained a few days ago. We first assumed that all Toyota would give us was a slight refresh rather than an all-new design, but several enhancements has been spotted in the latest spy shots.

While the 2014 Toyota Tundra still might not have a complete redesign that we had hoped, there are still various improvements that could still make this a worthwhile refresh. You’ll notice from the image above, with more available here (thanks to KGP Photography) that we can see the front end has several changes, such as new headlamps and a redesigned grille.

This is a clear indication that there are many new features to the exterior, although we will not know until the camouflage panels are removed. However, if Toyota has any hope of taking bites of the American branded pickups then they will need to offer something very different in the 2014 Tundra compared to its predecessor.

Let’s hope that when Toyota go to Chicago and they introduce the all-new Tundra it really is something very different, because we have seen in the past that this was not the case. We hope to learn a few more details in the build up to next months show, such as the full 2014 Toyota Tundra specs and price.